Mayor Releases More Giants Parade Plans

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San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Giants president and CEO Larry Baer Tuesday highlighted more details about Wednesday's parade that will honor the team on its World Series title.

The parade, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at the foot of Market Street, will proceed down the thoroughfare before making a right at McAllister Street and ending at City Hall and Civic Center Plaza.

San Francisco Readies for Giants Parade

It's a race against the clock as San Francisco gets ready to honor the World Series winning Giants with a parade on Wednesday. Monte Francis reports. (Published Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012)

There, Lee will present the Giants with a key to the city and honor them in a celebration featuring speeches from players, coaches and dignitaries. It is the team's second World Series in three years.

The mayor said the city is "ready for a great, great celebration" that will be "a family-friendly event," a stark contrast to raucous celebrations after Sunday's series-clinching win that led to 36 arrests and destruction around the city.

"We want to prevent that from happening" again on Wednesday, Lee said.

Baer said "a parade can't just come together in 36 or 48 hours," so the team had worked in secret with city officials before the clinching game but did not want to publicize the plans out of fear of jinxing the team.

He said Wednesday's revelry will be "a day to relax, reflect and just celebrate our heroes."

Lee said a difference from the parade to honor the Giants' 2010 World Series will be that this year, each player will have their own vehicle with their family.

In 2010, multiple players were on wheeled cable cars that some onlookers said were difficult to see, he said.

"It will make the parade a little longer but increase fan appreciation," the mayor said.

Market and Mission streets will be closed to drivers between Justin Herman Plaza and Van Ness Avenue from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for parade and construction-related activities.

Lee said safety precautions during the parade will include four reunification centers for children who may get separated from their parents.

He said he anticipates "quite a number of kids" attending the event.

However, San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Richard Carranza encouraged students to stay in school and not attend the parade.

"Every day and every minute of instruction counts," Carranza said in a statement. "So we encourage families to make sure their child is in school and ready to learn."

The district sent a reminder to students planning on celebrating Wednesday that all public schools will be in session.

After the Giants won the 2010 World Series, there was a slight dip in elementary and middle school attendance, and a large dip in high school attendance, district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said.

Normally, high schools in the city have a 97 percent attendance rate; for the 2010 parade, there was an 80 percent attendance rate, Blythe said.

"There is definitely a correlation of time spent in school and how students do in school," Blythe said. "Chronic absences reflect in students' grades."

Transit agencies are also planning for large crowds in the city and are adding service to handle the droves of fans.

San Francisco Municipal Railway is adding six light-rail trains to supplement service starting at 10 a.m. while Caltrain, BART and the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District are also adding service.

More information about transit options for the parade are available online at www.511.org.